Twentysix Letters, Twentysix Loves
by high improbability
Summary: The human heart is a fickle thing, more so falling in love. A collection of twenty-six short oneshots, each with a different alphabet theme. Sixth oneshot: F: Julius x Angela : Fancy
1. A: Mark x Lanna: Auditorium

**Author's Note:**

**Uh, hi. I know I should be working on my other long-fics right now, but I was browsing the Pokemon section and found the Alphabet Challenge, and since I was a twitch too late, _this _came out and felt like I needed to write it. It shall be a collection of alphabet-themed one-shots with different pairings.  
**

**Okay, so here's the details:**

**Chapter title: **Auditorium (A)

**Pairing: **Mark x Lanna

**So, without further ado, the first chapter of Twenty-six Letters, Twenty-six Loves...

* * *

**The first time I saw her, it was at the auditorium in the city.

Claire had dropped me off there after begging me to watch the concert being held there, so I did, wanting to do anything to appease my little sister. She and I had generically been close, one could count us as 'besties,' and we even looked something alike: we both had the same blonde hair. The only difference in our features was that she had sharp forget-me-not colored eyes, and my own were bright, round and green.

And it was those round green eyes that spotted _her_: Lanna deAngelique, pop sensation, magazine beauty, when she stepped on the stage. I had to admit that her appearance took the breath out of me, and I could see why Claire was one of her loyal fans. She winked at the audience, and for some reason I felt she was winking at _me_.

Lanna pulled back the green headband holding her long, golden hair with slender fingers, glanced at her band and backup singers with intelligent green eyes, and began to sing.

Maybe it was just me, but Lanna's voice was beautiful. It was like she was blending several emotions in her song: sadness and sorrow, joy and happiness, surprise, anger, and...love.

Maybe it was just me, but Lanna was beautiful.

"Okay, now after my next song," she then said, "One of you lucky fans gets to come up here with me! Plus, they also get free autographs!" The crowd practically screamed the house down as Lanna scanned the crowd with her eyes. Then she saw me. Our green eyes locked, and then she grinned. She snapped her fingers, whispered to her bodyguards, and smiled.

"I think we have our winner."

And one could only imagine my shock as her bodyguards wrestled me to the stage.

I didn't care much for the prizes or the autographs (I gave all of them to Claire and she went insane with happiness) but being up there with _the _Lanna deAngelique, touching her hand, having her look at _you, _out of all her adoring fans…

And I could swear that that chance to hear Lanna deAngelique sing was once in a lifetime. Her voice was…in a word, lovely. Or maybe it was just me.

--

Claire had bought her farm in Forget-me-Not because she said "the valley name reminded her of her eyes." She had also written that "the farm was lucky." However, on my way to visit Forget-me-Not, its luck didn't kick in and a storm occurred, causing me to end up on Sunny Island. So Claire pushed me to start the farm anyway, "so that we would both be farmers," and so here I was. But I didn't expect to see _her _come to the Island.

"Lanna!"

She whirled around, sending her blonde hair flying. "You!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Mark!"

"Yeah, it's me," I mumbled sheepishly, but I was cut off as she tackled me to the ground.

"Sorry." She got up. "I was just so excited. I mean, when you sweep the pop charts it's tough to recognize your average nobody - no offense - off the street. But when I saw you ten seconds ago I was so excited that I could _see _you, and I could _recognize _you!" She sighed.

"Nah, it's okay," I grinned, then blushed. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I'm here for inspiration," she moaned. "I can't write _anything_…I couldn't, after _our_ concert."

_What?_

"Sorry," I mumbled. "I'm sorry if I got you distracted."

"No," she said, "It's not your fault. It's mine. I got so excited after that, and…" She laughed.

"So, you want to hang out sometime?"

"Sure!" She giggled like she did on that night. "Oh, by the way, Mark," she said, "I _completely _forgot to give this to you." She handed me a picture of us after the concert, outside the auditorium. Signed by Lanna deAngelique herself.

Claire had fawned over the autographs I had given her. But you will never imagine that, two years later, she came to read in my letters that she had _the _Lanna deAngelique as her sister-in-law.

All thanks to that concert in the auditorium.

* * *

**O-kay. I feel like I failed...T.T**

**But either way, just PLEASE review...I take pairing requests!!!  
**


	2. B: Gill x Angela: Bow Tie

**Uh, hi?**

**I am SO sorry that I took so long to update. I've just been hit by a WAVE of homework, and yes, I KNOW this is shorter than the first...I guess I should shut up now.  
**

**Ah, anyway, I'm sorry. Now for the review replies!**

**Ms. Sarcasm - **Damn. Like I said, Grary is all the way at P...can you wait? :D. Thanks for reviewing!

**like red on a rose - **Uh, since I don't really know Julius all that well, I don't think I could. But maybe I could if I tried...

**NinjasRockYourFace - **Well, here it is. Gill/Angela! Thanks for reviewing!!!**  
**

**Raspberry Cake - **Yaoi and Yuri...I _could_, I guess...so, please review!!!

**tajikistan96 - **Cliff/Ann was originally going to be written, so yay! Can you wait?

**10Join-Fei - **Hah, yeah! So, here's Gill/Angela!

* * *

**Chapter title: **Bow Tie (B)

**Pairing: **Gill/Angela

* * *

"_Why_ are you wearing that?"

Gill's ears perked up at the noise and he turned to face the girl in front of him. "Why, is it a crime?" he asked coolly.

Angela frowned and glared at him. "Yes, Gilly dearest, it's a crime. A fashion crime, that is. A _bow tie_? Puh-lease. Everyone knows bow ties are _so _out of season."

Gill turned red and slowly looked at the bright red polka-dotted bow tie on his neck. "S-so?" he stuttered. "It's a free country!"

"So?!" Angela looked like she was about to burst. "SO?! Gill, you are the boyfriend of Waffle Town's fashionista – me – and _I _am not going to let you _humiliate _me by wearing that ludicrous clothing article…if it's even _worth _being called a clothing article!"

"Angela!" Gill whined.

She turned around. "Gilly, I _know _your word is the law, that you're practically the big boss around here, but when you're with _me_, _I _make the rules. And my rule is that you should NEVER wear bow ties around _me_! It's going to make me look bad!" she wailed.

"I don't think so, Angie," Gill said firmly. "I love this bow tie, and I am wearing it to the wedding."

"Not with me you aren't," the brunette shot back. "Candace is going to _kill _me if my _boyfriend _shows up wearing _bow ties _at _her_ wedding! Seriously!" she cried. "Ask Candace! Ask Luna! Ask _Julius!_ They'll all tell you that bow ties are out of fashion!"

"Angela!" he cried. "Will you _stop _it? You're _really _getting annoying."

She stepped back like she'd been slapped, but then immediately her composure came back. "Fine," she snapped, then whirled around. Suddenly, her pretty face contorted into a grin.

Gill gulped as she made her way over to Luke. "Hi, Angie!" the carpenter greeted energetically. "This wedding's going to be great, isn't it? I hear Candace's gonna have a huge blue cocktail table…yeah…"

"Yeah, whatever," Angela sniffed. She patted Luke's tie. "My, my, Luke, that's a really cute tie you're wearing," she said silkily.

"Y-yeah," he said. "I dunno how Dad managed to force this onto me, but hey, it looks great, doesn't it?"

"Of course!" Angela was grinning now. "And ties are _seriously _in season, you know, unlike bow ties! At least _you _have fashion sense, Lukey, unlike _someone _in this room." She cast a sidewards glance at Gill, who was sweating and scratching his suit.

Luke turned pink with the compliment. "Uh, t-thanks, Angela," he stuttered. "Well, looks like the wedding's about to start," he said hurriedly, checking his non-existent watch. "See ya."

"Wait, Luke, I'm coming with you!" Angela called after him. "I at least want to show up with someone with _fashion sense_." She smiled and winked at Gill. "See you, Gill."

Gill stared after her. Oh, yes. From now on, he was _so _letting his girlfriend pick his clothes.

Not that he cared, of course.


	3. C: Mark x Chelsea: Checkmate

**A/N: I suddenly had the random inspiration for this after my sister **_**cruelly **_**beat me in a game of chess, so yeah.**

**like red on a rose** ~ Thanks for being so understanding!!! I really _will _try to write something about Juli, don't worry!

**franfranlove** ~ Thanks! –hugs- And Gray x Claire was one of the planned pairings, so Yay!

**Pairing: **Mark x Chelsea

**Chapter Title: **Checkmate

* * *

"I'm playing white."

How odd that Mark's observations on her would start with that simple line; that that simple line would start a whole chain of reactions that would immediately change his opinion on the girl across the chessboard.

Chelsea, on the other hand, as she gathered up her black pieces, was totally confused. Her dainty hands swept across the board, placing the pieces one by one into their respective spots.

"Now, Chelsea, I'm going to teach you the basic rules of chess," he said, eyeing her warily. "This tiny one here is a pawn – people think it unimportant, but no…"

Chelsea was studying the board intently, as if already planning her strategy, but who was counting? She was a beginner, a simple amateur at this game of wits. At school she'd felt left out because chess was obviously the fad, and she'd had no idea how to play it. She'd try, but no, she could never learn.

She was thankful she'd met Mark here on Sunny Island, who, as it seemed, was a chess genius, and had an unbroken win record. As she eyed him now as he talked about the rules of chess, she noticed that his green eyes were sparkling with confidence, like they themselves were saying, "She's an amateur. I have this in the bag."

Mark was thinking no such thoughts, though. Chelsea was his friend, and he'd hurriedly finished all his farm chores just to teach her how to play a simple game of chess. He cleared his throat. "Chelsea?"

She looked at him with baby blue eyes. "I'm ready, Mark."

"All right then," he said, moving his middle pawn two spaces forward.

Chelsea eyed the board carefully; her eyebrows furrowed together, and then lifted her knight.

As they took turns, Mark's attention drifted from the chessboard to Chelsea, watching her. When he'd first met her she was shy and demure, the sweet type. She'd hardly had any friends except for Alisa, her pillar of wisdom, cheerfulness, and religion.

The Bishop. Mark absentmindedly lifted his, moving it two diagonals northeast.

Chelsea snickered and moved a pawn on the far side of the board one space forward.

Of course, Alisa was the one who had introduced reserved, friendless newbie farmer Chelsea to Mark, farmer extraordinaire, popular guy, and chess whiz, separate pawns in the chessboard of life. But the two of them had hit it off right away, going from acquaintances to friends to best friends.

Chelsea moved a rook five spaces forward.

The Rook always traveled in straight lines, like Mark's life once did. He had always known what to do and how to do it. But since he had met Chelsea, his brain's path had been like the queen he touched with his fingers when he was around her, with several tasks and total confusion in front of it.

He used his queen to take down one of her pawns. Chelsea saw this immediately and used her own queen to attack his.

_Damn_. He didn't see that one coming.

He knew that, to him, Chelsea was just as important as the Queen was on the chessboard (and he just lost his), the most powerful and valued piece. Chelsea had more power over Mark than even his own little sister did. She could ask anything she wanted him to do, and he would do it excellently without hesitation. It was like serving a queen.

Chelsea, though, didn't look like a queen at all. She looked perfectly regular, the mediocre lady. Thanks to Mark, though, she'd made plenty of friends, like Sabrina, who'd she'd wheedled out of her shell, and Natalie, Mark's own neighbor. Mineral Town's Karen was one of her friends, too, and to her, _that _was looking like a queen.

Mark tackled her Rook with his knight.

She took her remaining Rook near her King.

King.

To Chelsea, the word itself was resounding, powerful, yet kind at the same time. That was Mark for you. Next to Alisa, Mark was her best friend here. She loved him like she would a brother (and, Goddess, she had _plenty _of those) and he was her idol, and if she could, she would carve a statue of him and stick it on a pedestal.

Mark was a model of modesty, and he didn't think of himself that way at _all_. Chelsea was his best friend, and all he thought about was her…

"Mark?"

Chelsea's soft, melodic voice brought him out of his daydream. He glanced at her with confused eyes, and then glanced down at the board. His now-dim eyes widened in shock. She giggled.

"Checkmate."

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**Gosh, I hate this so much!!! T.T I feel like this one sucked...  
**

**Please review!**


	4. D: Jack x Mary: Dunce

**Here I AAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!**

**And you're probably wondering, "Starlight Amethyst! _What _have you been doing?!" Well, you see, I met Writer's Block one day and we started hanging out. Then two months later I discovered he sucked as a friend and I met Inspiration. I'm happy now. :D**

**But enough of my life story. On with the chapter!

* * *

Chapter Title: **Dunce (D)

**Pairing: **Jack x Mary

**Warning: **SLIIIIIIGHT OOC. Just a little.

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**Disclaimer: **I own nothing, dearies. If I did own Harvest Moon, I would be off making animes and mangas with my plot bunnies instead of crappy fanfiction. :(

* * *

Jack Foster had never been extraordinarily excellent at academics, nor at anything else he had to do in school.

Okay, that just doesn't cut it. He wasn't good at all.

So when he got _that _letter, he gave a little squeal of fear.

Okay, that doesn't cut it either. It was more like…

…He screamed like a girl.

And of course, Jack's famous "AAIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" reached the library, where Mary Taylor, resident librarian and best friend of resident idiot farmer, heard it.

And naturally, because she heard his cry for help and because she was his best friend, she (reluctantly) dropped everything and promptly went to see what was wrong.

* * *

When Mary got around to Jack's farm, she saw… well, you could say the farm could be in better shape. She sighed shyly at the disheveled farm, which, oddly, she could have sworn had been extraordinarily pristine this morning. No normal person could undo all that perfection in seven minutes and forty-nine seconds, right?

But then again, who said Jack Foster was normal?

Sadly, nobody. Because he wasn't.

Not in terms of maturity, anyway.

But Mary loved that about her best friend, the way his goofiness and childishness made her laugh and made her forget about the formalities and spiffiness she grew up with. With Jack, Mary wasn't Marianne Janice Berlitz-Taylor, but instead just plain Mary. With Jack, Mary was happy.

Well, most of the time, anyway. Sometimes he ticked her off. Sometimes he was a total idiot. Like now.

_Right now_, said idiot was running around like a headless chicken waving an impeccably pristine piece of paper around. Or at least, Mary was _sure _the paper was clean before Jack touched it. Now it was crumpled and mud-splattered.

"Jackson Justin Foster!" she called, almost indignantly. "Stop that idiosyncrasy this instant!"

Mary knew she was sometimes like a mother to Jack – despite the fact he was five months older than her – but who was counting? She was twenty-two, after all, and infinitely more mature than he was.

At her outburst, the brunette quieted down and slowly made his way to Mary, his head bent down. He looked so pitiful that Mary couldn't help but forgive him.

Almost.

Because at that moment, Jack dropped the puppy-dog eyes pose and started freaking out again. She groaned in exasperation. "Oh, Jack," she scoffed. "Give me that." With that, she snatched the paper away from him and read it.

Jack watched her as she read it, nail-bitingly waiting for her reaction. And he stood there, in agony, for the next two minutes and thirty-six seconds. And when two minutes and thirty-six seconds had passed and Mary had finished reading, she giggled.

"WHA-AT?" he whined.

"Jack!" she cried out between giggles. "This is a letter telling you to retake your second-grade math finals!"

Jack looked at her, dumbfounded. "Really? I thought it was a letter from the bank saying I seriously need to pay the four-year loan I have on my Porsche."

Mary blinked. "You have a Porsche?!"

"Well, yeah," he admitted. "It's at home in the city – I got it with a bank loan. I was supposed to pay the bank back four years ago."

"And you _didn't_?"

He giggled. "Of course I didn't. Why do you think I moved here, silly?"

Mary groaned. Deciding that this whole discussion was pointless, she held up the paper. "And this? It's a letter from your elementary school. Says you need to retake an exam you missed in two days and they only noticed now thanks to their computer system, yadda yadda…"

"…and if I fail the exam, I have to retake second grade all over again." Jack suddenly looked _scared_. "Mary!" he suddenly cried. "You're smart, right? You have to HELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Mary covered her ears and sighed. "I never was good at multiplication!" Jack was wailing. "Or conjunctions! I suck at conjunctions! Mary, help MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Visions of a grown-up-sized, twenty-two-year-old Jack miserably sitting in a classroom filled with eager, noisy seven-year-olds and with a teacher probably younger than him flashed through Mary's head, and she giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," she said vaguely. "All right, Jack, since you asked so _nicely_, I _will _help you."

"You really _will_?" He cried, his eyes dramatically huge and teary-eyed.

"Yes," she replied. "But you owe me."

* * *

** THE NEXT DAY…**

Mary slammed _Math So Easy Even an Idiot Could Answer It: 2 _shut in exasperation. "Jack," she said with forced cheeriness, "Will it kill you to answer the problem?"

"But it's two digit-times-two-digit multiplications!" Jack wailed. "How am I supposed to understand that?!"

Mary felt like screaming. If her parents wouldn't kill her and if Jack wasn't her best friend, she would have hit him with the thickest, heaviest, most hard-bound book she could find in the library.

"All right, Jack," she said, calming down, "Thirty-eight times twelve is?"

No answer.

"Is?" she pressed.

"Four hundred and seventy-six!" he announced proudly. She sighed in relief. _Ladies and gentlemen, we may actually be making progress here._ But then she noticed him peek at his back, and she leaped into action. Three seconds later she was holding an electronic calculator triumphantly in her hand. "Jack!"

"Like I said, I really don't understaaaaaaaand!" he cried.

"Then how on earth did you graduate from college with a BS in Agriculture?!" she gasped.

"Will Angelika here," he said sweetly, gingerly taking the calculator from Mary and cradling it in his arms. "Lili's been with me since Mommy took me to preschool."

_This guy nicknames _calculators_?_ Mary cried silently. This was going to be a LONG day.

* * *

"So, how was it?"

Mary had no sooner said those words when she noticed how disgruntled Jack's face was as he marched into the library. "Terrible, huh?"

"You said it." Jack plopped himself onto a chair and groaned. "I swear by the Harvest Goddess, if I could just PASS the frickin' exam I would be the happiest man in Mineral Town."

Mary pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "It couldn't be that bad," she said softly. "I mean you're twenty-two. I'm sure you'll pass." She brightened. "When do you get the results?"

"Tomorrow," was the muffled reply.

"Well then," she said matter-of-factly, "We'll just have to wait."

When the exam results _did _come in, Mary was shocked. She'd taken Lili from him, how was this possible?!

Jack was shocked.

The whole of Mineral Town was shocked.

Even the Harvest Goddess was shocked. "Dang!" she wailed. "I thought I made that boy the most idiotic person on the face of the earth!"

Indeed. She had every right to be shocked. For stamped on the top of the first page were the two simple characters:

**A+**

* * *

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Jack burst into the library in a wave of song. "Thank you, Mary! _Arigato! Danke! Merci! Sie riechen as toiletten!"_

Mary smiled a "You're welcome," at him, not bothering to point out that the last one was (rather broken) German, not for "Thank you," but for 'You smell like toilets.'

"Well, gotta go, Mary," he said. "I have to proclaim my victory to the world!"

She grinned. "Oh, Jack!" she called. "One more thing…"

He swung around. "Yes?"

Suddenly, he frowned and she giggled as she placed on his head the yellow cone-shaped hat marked "DUNCE."

* * *

**Yes, dears, I know it sucked. But please review, still? :( If you review you get a cookie!**


	5. E: Claire x Elli: Enough

**A/N: Hi, I'm back. You didn't think you had to wait two more months, did you? Happy Easter! And this one involves Easter egg hunting! Yay! So, I think it can also be titled Easter. Or Egg. Or whatever.**

**_chocobo86: _**Thanks! But I've never played MM so yeah...I don't know the characters, but I'll do research and try...

_**tajikistan9696: **_Ah thanks! And Gray x Mary...I actually like it better too...

_**White Rose Phantom: **_Because of an inevitable lack of a GameCube, I have never played MM. But like I said, I'll do research!

_**Red on a rose: **_Hi again! I know, Mary's an awesome friend. Guess what? Julius/Angie is next!

_**lilacbird: **_I have NO experience with same-sex pairings, but thanks, I took your advice to heart, went to an Easter party, and this idea was born. Yay for Clelli! Thanks a lot!

_**LupinandHarry: **_Well, I guess that's the result of writer's block and "HOMG I NEED TO UPDAAAAATE!" So, yeah. But thanks for the compliment!

**Anyway, this is YURI, girl/girl, femslash, or whatever you want to call it. The was "requested" by lilacbird, whose other request of Juli/Luke I WILL do (or try to). And, meh, this is my first shot at yuri, so Iamsosorryifthissucked, m'kay?  
**

* * *

**Chapter Title: **Enough (E)

**Pairing: **Claire x Elli

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**Disclaimer**: Do I really look like I own Harvest Moon? ^.^

* * *

"So why _can't _we?"

Mayor Thomas shook his head for the nth time. "Because, _Claire_," he replied, stressing the blonde's name, "Easter is not a commonly celebrated holiday in Mineral Town. And _egg hunting_?!" he practically exploded. "Claire! Do I look like an imbecile to you?"

Said blonde rolled her eyes. "Mister Mayor," she shot back, "With all due respect, Easter egg hunting is _not _for imbeciles, and don't you think it's a good idea to introduce new _customs _to Mineral Town! Come on! You've been celebrating Beach Day for what – twenty-five years?"

"Thirty!" Ellen's voice came from the other side of the room.

"See?!" Claire wailed.

"I think it's a good idea, Thomas," Ellen's voice sounded again. "Stu and May will love it, I'm sure. And I'll bet a week's worth of knitting you agree with me." She laughed. "You're just too stubborn to admit it, aren't you?"

Claire giggled.

The Mayor suddenly began to be very interested in the floor and started to feel beads of sweat forming on his brow. He was _not _having a good day. He knew it was a bad idea to visit Ellen today but no…"Fine!" he cried. "We'll have the Easter egg hunt, but just that. Happy?" he growled at the farmer.

She _laughed_.

*

Elli hummed quietly to herself as she slipped a forest green Easter egg into one of the Clinic's potted plants, and a navy blue one under the sofa. She waved at Claire who was trying to hide one in Trent's box marked "Personal Items: DO NOT TOUCH." Claire waved back at her friend.

_Claire was smart to introduce egg hunting to Mineral Town, _Elli mused. _It's actually a really great idea. _But then again, Claire always came up with great ideas. And as chairpersons to this idea, that meant Elli and Claire got to hide the eggs. But she was only chairperson because she was the farmer's best friend. But she wished that Claire could be something more.

Elli knew that she was the pinnacle for niceness in Mineral Town. "Elli," they would say, "You're so nice, you know that? You're sweet, kind, helpful, smart, innocent, strong, you're pretty, Elli! And your cooking is _heaven_. The Doc's lucky to have you as an assistant."

Yeah. She knew the town thought of her as practically perfect. And she knew they meant no harm. But as she looked over at the blonde, who was fumbling with Trent's private box, she knew they were wrong.

_She is my sin_.

She wasn't perfect. How she felt for Claire was proof of that.

_It's wrong_, her conscience screamed. _Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong. Bad. Bad bad bad bad bad. She's off-limits. She has Gray. She's a _girl!

But she couldn't help it. Claire. Claire Claire Claire Claire Claire. The pretty, petite blonde was more than a best friend to the nurse. She depended on Claire. Strong, pretty Claire didn't have to hide behind a façade of innocence like Elli did. Elli valued Claire above all else. She _loved _Claire.

And right there and then, Elli wished; she wished that it was her conscience that was wrong.

*

Claire straightened her corn-colored hair once again and turned to face Elli. "We should start now," she whispered. "Do I look all right?"

Elli smiled. "You look pretty, Claire." That was a lie. Claire wasn't pretty. She was perfectly _lovely_. But she couldn't tell her. She just couldn't.

So she just stood there and held Claire's hand (and loved every minute of it) and watched as all of the young people scattered off to look for eggs. Stu triumphantly saw a pink egg before May did and waved it in her face, and Cliff surprised everyone by yelling "Hooray!" when he uncovered an Easter egg in the trash can.

_Popuri and Rick are really good at this_, Elli thought, watching the siblings scoop egg after egg into their half-filled baskets. _It's at times like this when being a chicken farmer comes in handy_. _And everyone else looks like they're having fun, too. _She couldn't help but giggle, and she knew Claire was looking at her. Blushing furiously, she forced herself to look at her and grin. She grinned back.

*

Elli was sure Karen (who came in dead last) wasn't happy about losing to Rick (who won) in _egg hunting_ as the two walked home hand in hand after the hunt with Karen screaming at him about "cheating." She smiled as she saw Rick surrender and kiss Karen on the cheek, and then her smile disappeared and sadness took its place: She and Claire could never be like that. They were friends. She was Claire's best friend, and Claire didn't see her as anything more than that.

"ELLI!"

She turned around. "Claire!" she greeted.

"Elli!" The blonde rushed towards her and threw her arms around the brunette. Already Elli could feel her face heating up as she hugged back. "Elli, it was fantastic! Our Easter egg hunt was a huge success!" Claire cried happily. "Oh, Elli, I couldn't have done it without you!"

Elli smiled, rubbing her cheek as if it would make the blush go away. "Thanks, Claire," she replied sweetly, "But it was all your idea."

Claire grinned childishly. "That's what I like about you, Elli," she said, giving Elli a peck on the cheek before pulling away to go comfort a crying May. "You're a great friend."

Yeah, they were friends.

And maybe, Elli thought, just maybe that was enough.

For now.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, at least now I can't say I've never tried to write yuri. :D So even though this isn't the best story in the book, at least I tried, so yeah, I'm happy.

R&R! See you next chapter!


	6. F: Julius x Angela: Fancy

**Whoa, it's been a month already?!**

**/checks calendar/**

**Yeah, it has. But for me, that's pretty much a record. ^_^ This one's pretty much the longest so far, having 1334 words minus summary, so whatever. This was originally going to be titled "Fear" and starring a homophobic Angela, but I figured you would all hate homophobe!Angela, so I went with this idea instead.  
**

Oh, and I hope you don't kill me for writing _both _Angela andKevin/Oliver/whatever-his-name-is in here! And yeah, Kevin's married to Candace because I needed for her to get out of the way for Angela x Julius, and I couldn't _bear _to send away or kill off one of my favorite characters! **  
**

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**Chapter Title: **Fancy (F)

**Pairing**: Juli...us x Angela

**Dedication**: To **Red on a rose**, who reviewed all chapters of this thing and who requested Julius x Angela. You rock, girl!

**Warning**: Slight OOC because I don't know Julius that well...

**Characters**: Angela and Julius. With minor characters Kevin, Candace, and Luna; and special non-talking guest star Gill.

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**Disclaimer**: *sing-song voice* I - don't - own - Harvest - Moon...

Read away...

* * *

Luna's wedding gown was nothing less than beautiful: the Ferrari of dresses, it was hand sewn from gorgeous taffeta, embroidered with complicated silk designs, having ornate ribbons of satin, and edged with velvet. The veil was made of nothing but the finest lace, and it was edged with satin as well.

Yes, to Angela, it was extraordinarily _fancy_.

Kevin and Candace adored the dress – and Luna, of course – and they thought it would be absolutely marvelous to wear at her wedding. Kevin thought his sister-in-law looked "twice as mature as how she looks normally," earning himself a slap in the face, and Candace thought she was "just beautiful."

When the three of them turned to Angela for their opinions, she just blushed and said "Gill would love it." Her sisters-in-law and brother had been delighted, and they let her be after that. But they _were _surprised when she suddenly asked for a copy of the design, although Luna just shrugged and agreed. "Just don't copy it for your wedding, though!" she had exclaimed cheerfully, causing Candace to stifle a giggle and shush her sister, Kevin to burst out laughing, and Angela to blush furiously.

But out on a walk near Caramel River, the dress was still on Angela's mind. Absentmindedly, she'd taken out the paper and examined it again. How she would _love _a dress like this for her wedding! Of course, it wasn't like there was anybody to marry.

"Admiring the gown, I see?"

Just perfect. Of all the things, it had to be _his _shrill voice that would ruin the moment. She whirled around and glared at the culprit. "What do you want, Julius?"

Julius rolled his eyes at her hostile treatment. For two _freaking _years their relationship had been like this: him greeting her, she calling him "freak," "pretty boy," or "cross-dresser," and then the bickering would begin. He was used to it.

"Oh, nothing," he replied in his usual I-don't-care-about-you-Angela manner. "I just see you admiring the gown."

"And what made you think _that_?"

He smirked. "Oh, just the fact that you keep staring at that piece of paper in your hands that just _happens _to have the gown that…"

"…you want to wear?" she spat sarcastically at him, hurriedly folding the piece of paper.

"Who're you calling a cross-dresser, you – " he began, but stopped as soon as he saw her smirk. Julius groaned and smiled at her. "Oh, no, Angela," he then said in a sweet tone, "I was just noting that you have excellent taste."

She looked from the filthy, mud-strewn clothes she was wearing to him, and rolled her eyes. "And your point being…"

"…That I designed that gown, of course," he finished for her. Angela's eyes flew open. "You – WHAT?" she gasped. That _freak _of a _cross dresser _designed _that _beautiful dress? He _had _to be joking.

"Surprised?"

"No," she replied hastily, regaining her composure, "Because you're lying, that's what," she added. "Only a genius could have designed this –"

"Why, thanks for the compliment, my dear Angela," he was saying. "Flattery can get you everywhere, after all…"

The farmer resisted the urge to punch the _woman _in the face. _Fancy that_. She knew she was only hostile to Julius, to everyone else she was as nice-as-they-come. But they weren't annoying like Julius.

So instead she shut him up by slapping him.

Julius frowned, rubbing the red blotch on his cheek. "Beg your pardon?" he asked with such sincerity Angela had to hold her other hand as not to punch him instead. In a huff, she stuck up her nose at him and continued to stare at the design. One minute later, when she discovered he was still behind her, she shot at him, "Leave. Now."

When he still didn't budge, she groaned and left in a huff, moving further downstream.

* * *

Julius was sure she hadn't meant to trip. He was sure he hadn't meant to fall into the river, of course. And he was _sure _she would have been able to swim to safety – Luna had told him once Angela was a competitive swimmer once – but what he _wasn't _sure about was why he jumped in to save her.

Because he couldn't swim to save his life. (How _could _he – it would make his skin dry if he swam way too much!)

It must have been a hilarious sight, the two of them splashing like idiots in the Caramel River. And he was _sure _that was what Owen thought when he saw – and rescued them.

"Thanks anyway," a disgruntled Angela told him later at the inn, having been given a towel by Kathy. "Nice to know someone would try and 'save' me."

"You're welcome," he snobbily replied. "I was bored, anyway."

Kathy had to hold her back when she tried to kick him in the place where the sun doesn't shine.

When Gill entered the room asking for his fiancée, it was only then that she realized the soggy design. "Eargh! The design!"

"Why so worried, dear?" Julius said from the other side of the table. "You can always ask another copy from Candace."

"But Luna said this was her only extra copy!" Angela moaned. "I loved that picture! I was going to hang it up on my wall and frame it!" But her frown deepened when she noticed Julius smiling. "What?"

"I'll just design another dress for you, then," he said nonchalantly. She groaned. "Whatever. I have to go meet Renee anyway." She left the table, not noticing that a smiling Julius was staring after her.

* * *

"Hey, sis."

This was one of the rare moments when Angela resented her brother so much that she wanted to just move out. Sure, he was good to her and all, and incredibly helpful with the farm, but he teased her a lot and he was ever-so-popular in Waffle Town, not to mention best friends with Kathy, and that meant that if something incredibly funny/serious/romantic/interesting happened, he'd know in ten minutes flat.

And that incident earlier would be characterized as 'all of the above.'

"What?" she snapped. This apparently didn't unnerve Kevin, who then said, "Heard you had a little swim with your boyfriend." Candace was giggling now, and Angela cried to the Harvest Goddess _why _her sister-in-law wouldn't take _her _side for once. "It wasn't a _swim_, my dear brother," she said sweetly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going up to bed."

"Without dinner?" Kevin was about to say, when Candace glared at him. Candace rarely glared. And when Candace glared at him, it meant he had to shut up. And Angela thanked the Goddess that Candace had taken _her _side for once. "Here's some bread if you get hungry, Angie," Kevin's wife said, handing it to her. "O-oh, and Julius sent this over while you were out with Renee," Candace added shyly, giving her a white envelope. Curious, Angela opened it. And if Luna's dress made her eyes, wide open, the drawing inside made her eyes pop out of her head.

"What's _that_?" Kevin asked, peering over her shoulder. Then, "Ooh."

"I-it's beautiful," Candace agreed.

Because if there was a design more beautiful than that of Luna's wedding dress, this was it. Maybe some people have strange ways of saying "sorry for being such a jerk to you."

"Wow, Angie," Kevin's voice was saying. "What's with the dress? Are you seeing someone without me knowing?" he quipped with mocked suspicion. "Or are you getting married already?"

"Getting married," Angela laughed as she went upstairs. "Fancy that."

After today… maybe it wasn't so impossible, after all.

* * *

**A/N**: Gah, I SO don't know Julius's character! So was he okay?

Oh, and I MIGHT do a Magical Melody pairing next... So click the review button down there and tell me what ya think! Constructive criticism is welcome.


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